Summer BBQ recipes to try for a taste of Lebanon

It was while writing his first cookbook eight years ago that John Gregory-Smith got his first real taste of Lebanon, working in a restaurant in Beirut. The seed was planted and he returned to research his fifth cookbook, Saffron In The Souks.

‘The country is dazzling,’ says Gregory-Smith. ‘It’s so beautiful with a Mediterranean coastline, vast valleys and towering mountains. The food is so diverse, with old Arabic dishes, coastal cuisine, modern Lebanese, as well as Syrian, Palestinian and Armenian influences.’

 

Tangy and sour, Lebanese cooking is lifted by key ingredients like pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and sumac, making them perfectly light for summer.

 

Here, the cookbook author shares a trio of recipes that together, create the ideal barbecue feast.

GRIDDLED AUBERGINE FATTEH  

As I travelled the country, I spotted nuances in the way this heavenly layered dish is prepared. In Baalbek in the east, for example, they add tangy pomegranate molasses to the tahini sauce. For mine, I griddle whole slices of aubergine and layer them up with a lighter version of the traditional sauce, and don’t hold back on the garnish.

 

Ingredients (serves 4)

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

50g flatbread, ripped into

2.5cm pieces

2 aubergines, sliced lengthways into 5mm slices

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

juice of 1 lemon

100g Greek yogurt

55g tahini

1 garlic clove, crushed sea salt

To garnish

25g toasted pine nuts

50g pomegranate seeds

a small handful of coriander leaves

 

Method

1. Heat 7–10cm of oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and deep-fry the bread for about 1 minute until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper to remove the excess oil.

2. Brush both sides of the aubergine slices with olive oil and season with salt. Griddle for 2–3 minutes on each side on the barbecue until charred and tender. I find one side always takes longer and one side cooks much quicker. Just keep an eye on them and if they’re cooking too quickly, reduce the heat a little. Place on a serving plate and squeeze over half the lemon juice.

3. Meanwhile mix together the yogurt, tahini, 50ml of the water, garlic and the remaining lemon to a smooth dressing. Spoon over the aubergines. Garnish with the pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, fried bread and coriander. Drizzle over a little olive oil and serve immediately.

 

SUMAC & SEVEN SPICE CHICKEN 

This recipe from the rich farming region of the Beqaa Valley is rocking. The marinade tenderises the meat and gives it an incredible depth of flavour. 

 

Ingredients (serves 4)

 

For the marinade

5 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons Lebanese 7 spice or baharat

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sumac

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cardamom pods, bashed

juice of 1 lemon

sea salt

For the chicken

1kg chicken thighs and legs, skin on

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon paprika

juice of ½ lemon

2 teaspoons za’atar

sea salt

Method

1. To make the marinade, bash the garlic into a paste with a little salt. Tip into a large bowl and add the olive oil, Lebanese 7 spice, oregano, paprika, sumac, cinnamon, cardamom and lemon juice. Mix well. Add the chicken and toss together to coat the meat completely in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight if you are organised.

2. When you are ready to cook, tip the chicken into a baking tray, brush with the olive oil and sprinkle over the paprika. Grill for 40–45 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked through and tender. Transfer to a serving dish and squeeze over the lemon juice. Scatter over the za’atar and a good pinch of salt. Serve immediately.

FIG, WALNUT & FREEKEH SALAD

Freekeh is a wonderful ancient grain that’s low in fat and high in protein. The name comes from the Arabic word farak, meaning ‘to rub’, in reference to how the farmers extract the grain by rubbing the wheat between their hands. Grown in the south of Lebanon, wheat is harvested when it’s still young and green in colour, then roasted over a fire, giving the freekeh its distinctive smoky flavour.

 

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side)

160g freekeh

4 spring onions, finely chopped

a small handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

2 small handfuls of finely chopped mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

50g walnuts, bashed into a fine rubble

1½ teaspoons sumac

4 figs, quartered

50g feta

sea salt

 

 Method

1. Tip the freekeh into a pan and pour over plenty of just-boiled water. Bring to the boil over a high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20–25 minutes until tender but still with a good bite. Drain, refresh under cold running water, then drain again thoroughly.

2. Put the freekeh into a large mixing bowl and add the spring onions, coriander, half the mint, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the pomegranate molasses, 30g of the walnuts, 1 teaspoon of the sumac and a really good pinch of salt. Mix everything together really well and tip into a salad bowl.

3. Arrange the figs on top of the freekeh and crumble over the feta. Scatter with the remaining walnuts, sumac and mint. Drizzle the remaining olive oil and pomegranate molasses over the top and serve immediately.

John Gregory-Smith is the author of Saffron in the Souks (Kyle Books, £25)